The present invention relates to aircraft modal suppression systems, and more particularly to an aircraft modal suppression system compensating for body bending modes when aircraft weight differs from design gross weight (DGW) due to takeoff GW and fuel consumption.
Gust induced aft body lateral oscillations in long slender airplanes can affect comfort and ride quality in the rear section of the passenger cabin. An earlier Boeing-invented modal suppression system, U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,893 assigned to The Boeing Company, used yaw damping to suppress lateral oscillations and control body bending modes. The 5,072,893 patent system replaced the rate gyro with an accelerometer for detection of lateral motion, but does not fully compensate for body bending modes when airplane weight differs from the Design Gross Weight (DGW) due to fuel consumption.